


Political Suicide: Loyalist Edition

by leonanette



Category: Dishonored (Video Games)
Genre: Emily Rescues Herself, Everybody lives!au, Humour, Low Chaos Week 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-09
Updated: 2017-07-15
Packaged: 2018-11-29 23:19:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11451156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leonanette/pseuds/leonanette
Summary: Emily decides to save herself from the Loyalists at Kingsparrow Lighthouse and takes a leaf out of Corvo's book to do it.





	1. Chapter 1

They were just the same as Burrows. As the Pendletons. As Campbell.

These thoughts whirled round and round Emily’s head like a never-ending merry-go-round and made her tears come even quicker. She felt angry at the three outside the door but not as angry as she was with herself for being angry. She shouldn’t be crying on the floor like a baby. She should be thinking about how she should escape. It was what Corvo would do –

But, what exactly would Corvo do?

He gave Campbell the Heretic’s Brand – but there wasn’t a Heretic’s Brand in the Lighthouse.

He sent the Pendleton twins to work in their own mines – but she didn’t know where the mines were.

He let Lady Boyle go with her admirer – but she didn’t know who Havelock, Pendleton or Martin’s admirers were.

He had broadcast Burrows’ crimes over the city’s broadcast system –

And, there was a broadcast system in the lighthouse. She had overheard Martin saying how glad he was that the old one had been replaced and how long it would take to find someone strong enough to carry the old one out.

Emily thought and thought about this. The broadcast room wasn’t far away. When she had last been out of her room to use the privy, she had seen the door ajar on the other side of the big room. But, how could she get out and get past the three outside to reach it?

What would Corvo do?

He would find a way out and sneak around them. Since there was no way of getting through the door…

Emily’s stomach flipped over. She knew she was good at climbing. She once got to the top of the Golden Cat building during an escape attempt. But the Golden Cat wasn’t hundreds of feet up in the air and, if she lost her grip just once –

The thought of it turned her knees to jelly.

But, she had to do it. She had to be brave like Corvo or she would never see him again and would never be Empress.

She walked slowly to the window and carefully pushed it up. The wind blew the drawings off her desk and whipped her hair back from her face. Emily felt like she was going to be sick with terror. Brave or not, she was never going to keep her grip with such a strong wind blowing around her.

Then, she remembered a story Corvo told her. In Serkonos, there were precious stones set into cliff-faces too far up for people to reach. The miners would tie ropes around their waists before climbing up or down the cliff-face so, if they fell, they wouldn’t hurt themselves. She didn’t have a rope but she did have bedsheets and prisoners made ropes out of bedsheets.

And, she was as good as a prisoner here.

Taking the greatest of care not to let the ripping cloth make a noise, Emily got to work on her bedsheets. She knew that the lighthouse would be huge so she would need a very long rope to get up to the top and over to the other side. By the time she had used up all the bedsheets, she had a rope so long that it wound all around the room several times.

She tied one end as tight as she could around her waist, fastened the other end to the lamp on the wall, screwed up all her courage and stepped onto the window ledge. Despite knowing that it would make her scared, she looked down. It felt as if the lighthouse had grown several hundred feet since she arrived. The guards on the ground looked like ants and the sea looked like a hard expanse of grey rock which would be very painful to fall on.

She very nearly turned round and hid under the bed but she steeled herself for it again. She had to be brave like Corvo. She stood up on the ledge, turned to face the wall and found her first handhold.

The climb was much slower and more tiring than she had expected. While the many windows in the ceiling and wall made it easy to find handholds and footholds, the winds still buffeted her from side to side and her fingers were slick with sweat after just a few minutes. Several times, her hand slipped and her insides felt like they had fallen out of her but she always managed to get another handhold before she fell too far.

Finally, after what felt like hours of climbing, she reached the top. The sun nearly blinded her as she lay flat on her stomach, gasping but elated. She had done it. She had been brave and had not fallen.

But, what now? She would have to climb down the other side and try to find a window to the Broadcast System room and she was near the end of her bedsheet rope. She sat up and looked around for a skylight or another window close by.

Then, with a rush of delight, she saw the outdoor sitting area to her left. The drop from the roof was so small that all she had to was crawl over the roof and simply slide down onto the balcony. She tried the door to the office and grinned when she found it unlocked. After untying her bedsheet rope and letting it fly away on the wind, she took off her shoes (a trick she’d learned in the Golden Cat) and crept in.

She could hear Havelock, Martin and Pendleton talking in the big room below. They were talking about Corvo and, eager to hear news of him, she stopped to listen.

“…wasn’t my idea to make Samuel put it in his drink.”

“How was I supposed to know that Samuel would betray us? He’d been following orders to the letter until now.”

“But, he had been taking Corvo out to his missions and Corvo had spent quite a bit of time talking to him at the Hound Pits. Any fool could have seen that they were friends and that makes him a better man than the three of us for refusing to kill a friend under threat of execution.”

“Yes, well, that’s all very fine sentiments but that doesn’t do us any good. Corvo’s at large, Samuel’s at large, everyone’s at large and a month of my hard-earned profit has been thrown down the drain!”

Emily’s heart gave a leap. Havelock had told her that they had sent the City Watch to kill everyone at the Hound Pits Pub to stop them from telling everyone the truth. Pendleton’s assertion that ‘everyone is at large’ must mean that they had escaped. They must all be hiding from the City Watch. If she could just tell the whole city the truth, the City Watch would stop looking for them.

She crept down the stairs and peeked around the corner. The three of them were standing around the fire. They all looked angry but a little scared as well. Havelock had his pistol in his hand and was always looking towards the staircase from the atrium, as if he thought Corvo was going to appear any minute.

None of them were looking her way so she could quickly sneak across to the Broadcast System and hide in the room. A small key was hanging from a peg on the door and, on examination, Emily found it was the key to the door. She could lock herself in and wait until the City Watch arrested the three or until Corvo came but, as soon as she was about to close the door, she found she didn’t want to. She hated locked rooms now.

There were two tall Broadcast Systems but only the one on the right was connected to the microphone. She knew that because Corvo had once taken her up to the Broadcast room in Dunwall Tower and, at her request, told her how the system worked.

The one on the left was covered with a big oilcloth and Emily supposed it was the broken one Martin mentioned. When Emily eased off the covering, she found the broken system looked almost the same as the new one. And, the new one was so new that the operating manual was still sitting next to it.

She thought for a few more moments and made up a plan.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Corvo's POV now, set just after his meeting with Daud and run-in with Granny Rags. I felt this was the best way to show Emily's plan in action.

Corvo at last found the door to the Old Port District. Another spell of weariness came over him and he had to lean against the wall for a few moments, breathing heavily. They were becoming less frequent but no less powerful. So far, they hadn’t hit at crucial moments such as during a chokehold or while hiding from Whalers but it was only a matter of time.

But, he absolutely could not afford to stop. No poison would hold him back. Emily had to be saved or all his efforts would be for nothing.

At last, his strength returned and he was able to approach the door. He squinted through the keyhole – and got the next of a series of nasty shocks. There was what looked like the bottom floor of a house beyond and a Lower City Guard was staring hard at what Corvo at first thought was the wall. The Guard then turned his head over his shoulder and called to someone above.

“Do you think they might be hiding behind these shutters?”

Corvo activated his Dark Vision and, sure enough, three yellow figures were huddled beyond the wall. Along with the Guard, there was another shape standing on the floor above. An Officer, judging by the helmet.

“I’ll go down and check. I wouldn’t trust you to get that open. You go and see if there’s any sign of them in the sewers.”

“Ugh. Do I have to? You can bet your wage packet they’ve have been mauled by weepers if they’ve gone down there. I don’t want to be next.”

“No excuses. The Lord Regent wants them found, dead or alive.”

The Officer started making his way down the stairs while the Guard advanced towards the door. Corvo shrank back into a recess in the wall and waited. The Guard walked right past him and headed towards the sewers. Corvo nudged the door with his heel to make it swing back and pounced on the Lower Guard. Once he was unconscious, Corvo stuffed him in the recess and looked back at the Officer. He was straining with all his might to pull up a set of metal shutters in the wall and making very little progress.

Corvo stopped his efforts with a sleep dart and, after another quick check all around, he approached the shutters.

“It’s alright.” He called through as loud as he dared, “The Watch are gone now.”

The figures came alive and they rushed to the shutters. His Dark Vision faded just as the shutters were pulled up. Lydia, Wallace and Cecelia appeared, covered in dust but unhurt.

“I knew it!” Lydia exclaimed, “Corvo, I could kiss you.”

“You’d better not.” Corvo said, smiling with relief, “I’ve been through the Flooded District.”

“You went through the Flooded District?” Cecelia gasped, “Is it as bad as people say?”

“Worse.” Corvo knew he couldn’t afford to remember the weepers and still-sane plague victims struggling in those ruins and instead asked, “Speaking of things getting worse, what’s Havelock done?”

He directed this question at Cecelia and Wallace tried to answer for her but was quelled by Corvo’s look. So, Cecelia was allowed to explain, “Havelock said it was time for our bonus but Wallace guessed from a message from Pendleton what they really meant. He tried to tell me I wasn’t getting anything but Lydia started shouting at him for it.”

“I had no choice at that point but to tell them my suspicions.” Wallace put in.

“And, you were willing to go down and ‘take your bonus’ anyway?” Corvo observed.

Wallace sighed, “I did tell you once that I hoped to take a bullet for milord one day.”

“I wasn’t willing to take a bullet for him.” Lydia objected, “You didn’t think to tell me not to go down, did you?” She gave him a light smack on the back of the head.

Corvo shook his head. Wallace’s loyalty to such an unworthy man would forever be a mystery to him, “So, what happened next?”

“Well, there was no way of getting out through the front door or around the back without one of them seeing us.” Lydia explained, “The only way out was through the bunkroom window. So, we all climbed down and Cecelia took us to this place. It’s a pretty good hiding place too. Food stores, elixirs, shutters to keep out the City Watch. This girl really thinks of everything.”

Cecelia went as red as her hair and pulled her cap down over her eyes, which failed to conceal her small smile.

“So, the City Watch are in the Hound Pits?” Corvo prompted.

“They are. Guards, Captains, stiltwalkers, the lot. I bet those Lower Guard are guzzling all my best spirits as we speak! They’re trying to break into Piero’s workshop as far as I could tell. Sounded like he’s managed to barricade himself in.”

“What about Samuel? And Callista and Sokolov?”

“Samuel went out on a job and didn’t come back.” Cecelia piped up, “I guess he figured out what Havelock was planning too. Callista’s safe. Havelock said he owed her uncle a debt. I’m not sure about Sokolov.”

“Right.” Corvo nodded as he was thinking, “Any idea where they’ve taken Emily?”

“All we know is they’ve gone by boat.” Lydia said, “Emily didn’t go quietly. Poor little girl. Out of one tyrant’s hands and into another’s.”

Then, he would have to scour the pub of Watchmen and look for clues himself.

“Take what supplies you have and lose yourselves in the sewer.” He told the three, “There’s a little shanty town about a hundred yards that way. You can hide there. Lock the door behind you and barricade it if you can.”

Wallace wrinkled his nose but Cecelia and Lydia got to work gathering up armfuls of tins and elixirs at once. Corvo made his way up the stairs into the main room of the house. He found the door and peered around.

Lydia had been right. A tallboy patrolled in front of the house, making the pebbles rattle at his feet. A pair of City Watchmen were talking about the upcoming coronation. Corvo tuned them out and made his way to Piero’s workshop. A quick look with Dark Vision told him that Callista was safe in the tower and that Sokolov had managed to hide in Piero’s workshop.

Despite the knife-edge situation, Corvo couldn’t help but be uplifted by the fact that Havelock had not succeeded in wiping out any loose ends. His mood improved when he managed to find Piero’s blueprints for the arc pylon and was able to make it up with a full whale oil tank.

Then, the loudspeaker groaned into life. Corvo didn’t pause in placing the tank into the recipticle at first. It was probably another announcement from Havelock further blackening his name.

Instead, his heart almost stopped when he heard Emily’s voice.

“Attention, Dunwall citizens, my name is Emily Drexel Lela Kaldwin and I should be your Empress but I’m being held prisoner in the Kingsparrow Lighthouse by Admiral Havelock. He told you that he saved me from a conspiracy led by Corvo but it’s not true. Corvo didn’t kill my mother or kidnap me. Burrows told you that lie when Mother died and now Havelock’s telling it too. Corvo would never hurt me or anyone else. It was Havelock that broke Corvo out of prison and he told Corvo to rescue me from the Golden Cat. And, Corvo never killed anyone while he was doing it. He’s not a murderer. Everyone Havelock said worked with Corvo actually worked for him and Martin and Pendleton. They want them dead now so they can’t tell anyone the truth but you all know the truth now so, if you’re loyal to me or my mother, please help Corvo and please send help to Kingsparrow Lighthouse!”

The broadcast ended. Everything around Corvo was still. The tallboys stopped shooting and the City Watchmen stopped patrolling. When Corvo looked down at the courtyard, he saw the Watchmen staring around at each other as if silently asking their fellows how they should react.

Then, there was a confusion of crashing and shouting. At first, Corvo thought the tallboys had started their assault again and he reached for the switch. Then, he heard Martin’s voice.

“She’s locked it!”

“Shit!” Havelock shouted, “Unlock this door, you stupid girl, or, so help me, I’ll smash it down and make you wish you’d never been born!”

“Put your back into it, man!” Pendleton snapped, “You couldn’t break down a house of cards hitting like that!”

Then, it clicked. The broadcast hadn’t ended and none of the three had realised it. “Emily, you are a  _genius_!” Corvo whispered into his hands as he held back a laugh.

“Hold on, hold on a minute.” Martin broke over Havelock and Pendleton’s argument, “Let’s all just calm down and think about how we’re going to get out of this nasty hole Emily’s pushed us in. We need to get our story straight before we leave and breaking down the door and making her wish she’d never been born is not going to make us look any better.”

The banging in the background stopped, “Alright, smart-arse, what do you suggest? She’s only told the whole city the truth. How are we supposed to cover that up?”

Corvo doubled up with suppressed laughter. Even playing Burrows’ private confessions wasn’t as brilliant as this,  _Oh, if only you could see this, Jessamine. You would be so proud._ As he thought this, he thought he could feel a phantom beating at his hand, as if the Heart was there and quaking with laughter as he was.

Then, the ground started shaking. The tallboy from outside the pub had changed its patrol and was moving into the courtyard. Kicking himself for his lack of awareness, Corvo looked down and saw what looked like every City Watchman in the Hound Pits Pub congregated behind it. Corvo leaned over and adjusted his mask optics so he could hear what they were saying.

“How do we know everyone else is going to turn on Havelock? If we get there and we face an army of City Watch and Overseers, it’ll be a bloodbath.”

“You’re a cowardly choffer, Brookley, and you always were. Even if everyone other City Watchman is going to turn traitor, I like to think me and my squad have more integrity than that.”

“But, Captain Fielding, what about Corvo? If he’s innocent, that makes things worse. Some of us were posted in Coldridge over the last six months and I think a couple of us must have poked fun of him at some point. He’s still gonna be pretty sore about that.”

“And, if this turns out to be one big hoax to test our loyalty, we could wind up in prison for treachery.”

“Tanner, you’re full of shit.”

“What? It could happen.”

As they argued, Corvo did some hard thinking. He had never killed a City Watchman but his restraint was born more out of respect for Jessamine’s wishes than any love for them. Yes, some of them were voicing doubts but it seemed the vast majority, including the commanding officers, were in favour of rebelling against Havelock.

He decided on a gamble. If it didn’t work, he could always Blink back up and flip the switch. He removed his mask, Blinked down to the balcony of the workshop, took out the pistol he carried out of habit and fired into the air.

The bang made the City Watch fall quiet and stare up at him. Before the commanding officers had time to collect themselves and respond, Corvo raised his voice for the first time since Coldridge.

“I am Corvo Attano. I was framed for the murder of Empress Jessamine first by Hiram Burrows and now by Farley Havelock. The second betrayal stings the most, since I worked for him to rescue Lady Emily and to defeat Burrows’ regime. Know this, no matter who you followed, I do not blame any of you for any of the offences you committed against me. Now you know what sort of man gave you your orders, I give the choice of what happens next to you. If you follow me in rescuing the Empress from her captors, I promise that none of you will be held accountable for the brutality you were encouraged to commit during the last six months. If you fight against me, then I am willing to fight all of you at once and win. Captain Fielding, what do you and your men say?”

It was a bold promise. One that Corvo was rather loath to fulfil but men needed more than the promise of honour.

Captain Fielding looked indecisive for a moment. Then, Pendleton chose that moment to say, “Tell the City Watch whatever you like. Those dunderheads believe anything a man with a throne will say.”

A flash of anger came across the man’s weather-beaten face and, without a second’s hesitation more, he drew himself upright and saluted, “Awaiting orders, sir.”

In a few seconds, all of the squad was saluting him and Corvo inwardly deflated with relief, “First, stop your attack on the Natural Philosophers and call off the search for the conspiracy members. Second, gather your best men and send for boats to accompany me to Kingsparrow Isle. Third, send out the rest of your men into the city to bring all officers and overseers to the Empress’ side.”

To Corvo’s amazement, the Captain saluted again and began following Corvo’s orders to the letter. Corvo informed Piero and Sokolov that they were safe and met with Callista in the tower. All three were just as relieved and amused as Corvo was at this turn of events and, even when Corvo had called Samuel via flare gun and had set off with three boats of the City Watch behind him, not one of the three traitors had realised what was happening.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I did not expect this fanfiction to be this popular. Thanks for all the kudos, comments and bookmarks. I hope the final chapter is worth it.

Arriving at Kingsparrow Isle brought another nice surprise. There, on the jetty, were a contingent of City Watchmen and, at the front, was Emily, unhurt and smiling all over her face. Her smile seemed to glow in the bright sun.

“CORVO!” She called at the top of her voice, waving both her arms over her head.

“Emily!” Corvo waved back, his elation making him lose all restraint.

Emily ran flat out down the jetty as he approached and Samuel’s boat had no sooner touched land that she leapt off into Corvo’s arms, nearly making him topple into the sea.

“I knew you’d come! And, everyone knows you’re innocent now. Everything’s going to be okay now, right?”

“It certainly is.” Corvo had hoped he was past the age of crying but he was full of joy that his vision blurred with tears, “And, it’s all thanks to you, you absolute genius!”

“Oh, well,” Emily went pink like a flattered lady, “I thought you would like a break from saving me so I saved myself.” She turned to Samuel, who was simply beaming, and gave him a big surprise by hugging him too, “Samuel, I’m so glad you’re okay! Is it true that you saved Corvo from being poisoned? I overheard Admiral Havelock saying so.”

It was Samuel’s turn to go pink, “Oh, I didn’t do anything that brave or nothing. Just slipped him out when they weren’t looking.”

Corvo felt tempted to tell Emily and all present everything that Samuel had done but felt that doing so would only give him more embarrassment than pleasure so he cleared his throat, “Speaking of Havelock, we need to get up to the Lighthouse and get arresting those three out of the way. Come on, Samuel. I have a feeling you’ll want to see this.”

Emily, Corvo, Samuel, two City Watch captains and (to Corvo’s slight discomfort) the head overseer ascended up the lift to the Lighthouse. Emily regaled them with her daring climb over the lighthouse to reach the broadcast room. Corvo was torn between outrage that Emily had done something so risky and pride that she had pulled it off. All the while, Havelock, Martin and Pendleton continued their conversation about how to cover up their crimes, oblivious, and everyone in the lift was struggling not to laugh.

When they reached the Lighthouse and reached the penthouse, Corvo took charge again, “Right, nobody laugh until they find out. I’m sure I can speak for all of us when I say I can’t wait to see their faces. Your Ladyship, do you have the key?”

“Right here.” She produced the key from her pocket, her face quivering with suppressed giggles.

Corvo took the key and did his best to school his expression before putting it in the lock, “Everyone ready? Three, two, one.” He turned the key and opened the door.

Havelock stood before him, arm raised to start hammering on the door again. The stunned look on his face almost made Corvo crack up then and there. Instead, he waved with a smile, “Hello, Lord Regent, High Overseer, Prime Minister.”

“What the - ?” Havelock stared around, taking in Emily, Samuel, the officers and the overseer, “What in the name of the Cosmos do you think you’re all doing? Arrest those traitors now!”

Laughter desperately wanted to burst out of Corvo’s throat but he kept it down and turned to the officials, “You heard him, men.”

The officers and overseer took their cue and marched forward. The head officer seized Havelock, his assistant grabbed Pendleton and the overseer pinioned Martin.

“What on earth? Get your hands off me! I’ll have you flogged!” Pendleton spluttered. Havelock too was blurting out threats from beatings to decapitation. Martin, among all of them, was calm.

“Gentlemen, you’re making a very grave mistake.” He said, at last, “We know how deceptive and manipulative Corvo can be. He fooled everyone into thinking he was unfailingly loyal to the Empress so it would be a piece of cake of him to twist the young Empress’ mind into thinking we are traitors.”

The urge to laugh was becoming overpowering. Emily had already succumbed to giggles but, thankfully, she covered her face and the noises could pass for crying.

Corvo strode into the broadcast room and pretended to examine the uncovered broadcast system, “And, it’s very easy to fool three grown men into thinking a broken broadcast system is a new one.”

The three looked nonplussed. Havelock opened his mouth again to issue another order but Corvo spoke first.

“This looks a little battered to be new, doesn’t it?” He crossed the room and pulled down the cover from the second broadcast machine, “This one, on the other hand, definitely looks like a fully functioning new broadcast system.” He pointed to the small glowing red light, “ _Very_  fully functioning.”

The coin finally dropped. Martin got it first. His eyes went wide and he gave a small, “Oh.” Then, Pendleton made a strangled squeak like a rat being trodden on. Havelock just gaped, staring at the light as though willing it not to exist. At last, Corvo could not contain himself any longer and roared with laughter for the first time in a year. Once he had started, all the others abandoned restraint and the whole room was ringing with laughter.

A laugh that was no doubt shared by the whole city from the Flooded District, from the mines on the outskirts, from the sea surrounding it and from Coldridge prison, and any others who found the event in history.

“Oh, I wish Sokolov was here.” Corvo finally managed out, “Your faces are a picture!”

After a minute, Martin joined in the laughter. When the other two stared at him, he said, “Oh, you should laugh. It’s the only thing we can do now. And, I must say the Empire really dodged a bullet today. If we can be outfoxed by a ten-year-old girl, the Cosmos only knows how badly we would have ruled.”

All but Havelock and Pendleton were still laughing as the three prisoners were led out of the Broadcast Room. Once they were gone (and their faces couldn’t set him off again), Corvo reined himself in and said, “Alright, then, Empress Emily, would you like to make a closing statement?”

Wiping tears of mirth from her eyes, Emily approached the microphone and, standing on tiptoe, said in a clear and happy voice, “The traitors to the crown have been arrested and I’m free again thanks to Corvo and the City Watch. I can be Empress properly now and everything’s going to be okay so I’ll see you all at my coronation.”

She pressed a button on the console and the red light flicked off. She turned and flung her arms around Corvo again.

“I will be Empress, won’t I?” She whispered in his ear.

“Absolutely.” Corvo said.

As they were walking out, Samuel leaned into the Broadcast Room and asked, with a barely suppressed smile, “Are you absolutely sure it’s off this time?”

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this, please check out lysidas' wonderful fanart of this fic here: http://lysidas.tumblr.com/post/148100297208/i-was-reading-a-beautiful-fanfiction-by


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